Gosnell's Howe signs with uptempo York

GOSNELL -- In a year already full of a wide range of both team and individual success and accomplishments for Gosnell star point guard Tre Howe, Wednesday afternoon the senior all-stater fulfilled a lifelong dream and will play college basketball next season.

Howe signed a letter of intent to attend York College next year on a basketball scholarship in front of a large crowd of family, coaches, teachers and classmates Wednesday afternoon at the Gosnell Physical Education Building.

York, located in York, Neb., is a Div. II NAIA school and a founding member of the Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference. And while Nebraska may seem a long way from Gosnell, York head coach Delton Deal thinks Howe will feel right at home playing for his Panthers.

"We average about 90 points a game," said Deal, who made the trip from York for Howe's signing. "We're an up-tempo team. We like to get out an run in the open court. Tre (Howe) is going to be perfect for us."

Deal said Howe will get every opportunity to play right away as a freshman.

"The plan is to play him," he said. "We told him we don't promise anything but if he comes in and works hard, we have high expectations of him. He was number one on our board all year. So, he's a big time player for us and we're excited. We have one senior point guard who's real fast with the ball. So, we're looking for the next guy to lead our program. That's what we wanted, someone who can take care of the program with high character. He's (Howe) a high-character kid who's really quick with the ball. He's strong. I think he's going to be special."

Howe's looking forward to the opportunity of showing his skills at the next level.

"It's an honor," he said. "Everybody wants a chance to play in college. There's only a select few that get to go. Whether it's Div. I or Div. II. I feel blessed to continue my career. "

Howe said he's also looking forward to playing the style of basketball that the Panthers play.

"I really like their (York) system," he said. "They're an up-and-down type of team and I really like that."

There were other motivating factors in his decision to attend York besides the style of play.

"York is a Christian school," he said. "You can never go wrong staying close to God. So, I feel like I made the right decision."

Making good decisions was just one of Howe's characteristics on the court that Pirate head coach Kirk Glintborg is going to miss next season.

"He led us in scoring, led us in steals and led us in assists," said Glintborg. "He was a big part of what we did. Not only with the stats but how he led us a leader. He's a super-competitive guy with a lot of energy.

"He's going to be very hard to replace. You almost have to do it by committee. It's not going to be one person. It's going to have to be multiple people stepping up and taking on those roles. We're losing a lot. That's for sure."

Wednesday added just another chapter to a successful season for Howe and the Pirates. The Pirates won the 3-4A district title and advanced to the 4A state tournament for the first time since 2010. Howe was a three-time all-conference selection, two time all-state selection, all-state tournament this season and the Blytheville Courier News Player of the Year.

afitzpatrick@blythevillecourier.com